Daily Support

Support is having people who will help keep you from falling when life challenges come. There are different types of support that help me every day. Spiritual support comes from God who carries me when I am at my lowest and don’t see my way.

 “I live in the faith that there is a Presence and Power greater than I am that nurtures and supports me in ways I could not even imagine. I know that this Presence is All knowing and All Power and is Always right where I am”
― Ernest Holmes

 

There is support from my family that has supported me throughout my life. My strongest support comes from my oldest sister who step in the role as my mother and sister after my mother past. She has encouraged me to go to college and is still walking me through this new chapter in my life of completing my master’s degree.

 “The fact is, there is no foundation, no secure ground, upon which people may stand today if it isn’t the family. If you don’t have the support and love and caring and concern that you get from a family, you don’t have much at all. Love is so supremely important. As our great poet Auden said, ‘Love each other or perish’.”
― Mitch Albom, Tuesdays With Morrie

 

There third support system I have managers, staff and other co-workers. We work together to meet the needs of the families we provide service. Being an administrator and a supervisor I face challenges every day and making decisions can difficult because they can impact the lives of family and children. With the government cuts in non-profit organizations we were faced with   assisting parents that needed before and afterschool care and could not get a voucher or scholarships. The staff and I met and decided to have a fundraiser to create revenue to assist 5 families. The staff is supporting me by continuing with this strategy to help our families. I am so blessed to have staff that share my passion for meeting the needs of our families and willing to go the extra mile when needed.

 

“Life is a wall, you have to climb it by pushing others to climb over and you will be pushed as well. Give a helping hand today.”
― Bernard Kelvin Clive

“My Connections to Play”

Special Play Quotes:

Almost all creativity involves purposeful play

Abraham Maslow
American psychologist 1908-1970
 

When children pretend, they’re using their imagination to move beyond the bounds of reality. A stick can be a magic wand.  A sock can be a puppet. A small child can be a superhero.

Fred Rogers

American children’s television host
1928-2003

Favorite play items and places

I made dinner



   Quest though the forest     



Pretend to be a baker

 

My Childhood  play experiences

When I was a young child my mother encouraged me and my siblings to go outdoors to play. She would give us old pots and pans to play with and would come to check on us to see what we were up to. She would pretend to eat the dinners we made with the red dirt and ask questions about what we used to make it. When I got my Easy Baker Oven, she would ask “what is my little baker creating today”. This was the best creative time in my life. I would pretend to measure the ingredients, mix them put them in the sun or my oven to cook     . The interaction between my siblings was positive and very special because we never had fuss over the things we were playing with. We would play outside for hours and never complained about the heat or cold.

When we visited my grandmother I would go on adventures in the woods. I would pretend to be explorer looking for unique objects, animals and pretend we were camping out using my grandmother’s swing set with pillows and old curtains. These types of play were an important part of my growth and development. It enhanced cognitive, language, social and motor skills without the direct instruction from my parents.

 Today play is different from when I was a growing up. Children are not interested in playing outside or during gross motor activities. They have so many toys and computer games to play with. They can turn computers on, login and find websites. Some of them will play games such as basketball, football or on playground equipment but I observe very little imaginary play.  They ask to go inside because the weather is too hot or cold and what to play with the many store purchased items in the classroom. We need to help children get back to the true power of play.

 

 

 

Relationship Reflection

“Relationship Reflection”

I believe relationships can be both personal and professional and can have equal impacts in live. The one person I would say my strongest and most rewarding relationship will my oldest sister. She has been a role model, listening hear, encourager, and motivator when I did not see my way through. Our relationship surpasses the personal level as family but also professionally. I say this because as I embarked on furthering my education she was able to assist me with the process, helping me understanding the course work and celebrated my successes. This relationship is and will all ways be the most important in my personal and professional live.

 There are other relationships and partnerships that have been establish in my live as well. They are with people I work with in the educational field. The first in this part of my live was with my first partner in the classroom. She was the lead teacher and I was her assistant. She was an awesome teacher and mentor for the children and for me. Her passion for teaching placed golden nuggets of the same passion in me. I will always reflect on the knowledge about early childhood I gained for the working relationship with her.

 One other person I have gained a professional relationship with is Ms. Katherine Maynard our educational manager in the Head Start program I work in. She took me under her wing and taught me the importance of observing, assessing and planning goals and objectives for children. She also helped get a better understanding of having the parents being involved in the education of children. I never faced challenges in either of my relationships with any of the people that have impacted my professional and person live.

“For this I feel blessed and honored for having such awesome people in my live.”

 

Effects of Poverty in Families

Poverty is characterized as “being extreme poor or not having sufficient amount of food, clothing and shelter.  This particular issue is, and had been a, problem in America fluctuating with the passing years. What's more is the effect it has on children living in homes plagued with poverty? Not only does poverty affect the child's well- being, but it impacts their education as well. In general, children from homes living under the poverty line have poorer performance in school. Such performance has also been linked as far back as cognitive and emotional development which is lower in poverty stricken children than those children who live in homes whose income is above the poverty line. Although data has not yet been gathered to give specific details of all the cognitive effects, especially in older children, it is clear that the effects are not only present but threatening to the well- being of the children involved.

In my profession in Early Childhood Education and working in Head Start a non-profit organization I experience families living in or below the poverty level. Children come to school hungry, sleepy and without appropriate clothes. We are mandated by the federal government to assist families with getting back needs met. That is one of the responsibilities of our Family Advocates to help parents become self-sufficient through assistance of community resources.

I remember one family with two children in the Head Start program and a new baby. At the beginning of the school year the children came in with holes in their shoes, clothes were too small and both children asked for seconds and some thirds of breakfast and lunch. The children were teased by other children and the teachers would intervene. Their attention spans were not very long and after getting breakfast they would fall asleep. The Family Advocate reached out to the mother but I think her pride would not communicate her needs; her response was “we are okay”.  We would give the children feed the children large portions at both meals and on Friday’s we would give them a snack before going home.

This story does not end here, two months after the children started they came in wearing new clothes, hair done and stopped asking for seconds. This went on for about three months and then the mother stopped being the children to school. One of her sister came to my office to tell me she would be bringing to school because the mother was incarnated. During the meeting the sister shared the mother was incarnated for stealing children clothes and food for local department stores. This story is one example what families living in poverty believe the need to provide for their children.

 Africa includes some of the poorest countries in the world. In much of Africa south of the Sahara, harsh environmental conditions exacerbate the conditions of poverty. Dry and barren land covers large expanses of this region. As the poor try to eke out livings through farming and other subsistence practices, they exhaust the land, using up the soil nutrients needed to grow crops. Over time this has led to desertification, a process in which once fertile land turns to desert. During the late 20th century, desertification contributed to famines in a number of African nations, including Somalia, Ethiopia, and Mali. Political instability and wars in many sub-Saharan countries have also contributed to poverty. As a result of such factors, the number of people living in extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa grew from 217 million in 1987 to more than 300 million in 1998.

Despite the challenges, there are signs of progress and more is achievable. Importantly, Africa’s development agenda is increasingly African-led. Improved partnerships between African and donor nations have resulted in increased aid flows being used more effectively.

http://www.fightpoverty.mmbrico.com/facts/africa.html

Children and families in Africa face more challenges than we do in the United States. We have organizations that provide assistance with food, clothes and housing but in African they are just getting help from organizations such as African Union and The New Partnership for Africa development. NEPAD and the AU are working on reducing poverty, HIV/AIDS and sustain long-term economic growth for families in poverty. These effecters will help improve children’s health and educational success.

The importance of Immunization

I choose to discuss the importance of immunizations because when it comes to children’s health and well-being some parents do not understand. I am a director in a Head Start program and one of the health regulations in our county is children be up-to-date on the immunizations to attend childcare programs.  We have children coming to enroll with only the immunizations given in the hospital at birth. Parents get upset when tell children need to go to health care provider to get much need immunizations.

All children should be immunized at regular health care visits, beginning at birth immunizations are very important in keeping our children healthy. The recommended childhood and adolescent schedule urges shots starting at birth and going through 24 months of age, with boosters and catch-up vaccines continuing through the teenage years and into old age. By immunizing, we safeguard our children against the potentially devastating effects of vaccine preventable diseases. No child should ever have to endure the effects of vaccine preventable diseases, simply because he or she was not vaccinated on time. Catastrophic effects of childhood diseases can lead to life-long illness or even death.

The United States has experienced outbreaks of vaccine preventable diseases in the past several years - diseases that imperil our children's health and future. The primary cause for the 1989 - 1991 outbreaks of measles and resurgence of other vaccine preventable diseases has not been the failure of the vaccines to protect, but rather the failure of the health care system to deliver the vaccines to the children at the recommended ages.

 http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/immunizations/14141/immunizations_home_(2)/557976

In countries like Africa there are more than 30 million children are unimmunized either because vaccines are unavailable, because health services are poorly provided or inaccessible, or because families are uninformed or misinformed about when and why to bring their children for immunization. I was happy to learn that organizations such as UNICEF is working to expanding immunization coverage too hard to reach communities to help reduce infant mortalities due to not receiving proper vaccinations and to improve maternal health for their parents.

No matter what country a child is from they have a right to be protected against preventable diseases. Parents must not wait until their children enter school to immunize them. Immunization is the most cost-effective preventive health measure available to children.

http://www.unicef.org/immunization/index_why.html

Childbirth in My Life and Around the World

Childbirth in My Life and Around the World

 The child birth experience I remember is when my oldest daughter was born. I carried her for 36 weeks without any complications. When I went to my next doctor’s appointment I was told my blood pressure was high and to relax in the waiting room for a few minutes to see if it would go down. Unfortunately it did not so I had to call my husband to come pick me up and take me to the hospital to be admitted.  I was told I had toxemia which a harmful for of hypertension and would be very determinate for my unborn child. I remained in the hospital until she was born and had to have a cesarean delivery because having her naturally would not be healthy for either of us.  I wanted to have the experience of having my daughter like my sisters and sister-in-laws but it did not happen. Cesarean births are not common in United States, but are done if there is a danger for the baby or the mother.

In researching child birth in other countries cesarean birth is a “norm” in Brazil.  To have a baby in Brazil requires patience, persistence and preparation. In private hospitals the Caesarean rates range from 70 to 90%. The so-called "normal birth", when it happens is packed with medical procedures, with routine use of epidural, Pitocin and episiotomy. (Duarte, 2004)

It is almost impossible to experience a water birth, especially in hospitals. Many doctors prefer Caesareans as they are faster and more practical, generally opting to schedule them ahead of time, to prevent being called on at an inconvenient time.

This was very surprising to me because we are taught the natural childbirth is having the child vaginally if there were not complications.

 http://www.gringoes.com/articles.asp?ID_Noticia=365

“A Note of Thanks and Support”

To an awesome group of colleagues,
Thank you for sharing your experiences and passion for children and families in the Early Childhood field. I was somewhat apprehensive about enrolling at an online university, but with the support and encouragement each of you have given me I made it through the first step. I enjoyed reading about your families and the strong bonds you have with them.

I appreciate you sharing your favorite children books, meaningful quotes and most of all the early childhood resources you shared on your blogs. I have visited several of them and shared the information with my staff.

I feel I have gain a new professional group of friends that shares the same passion I do “children and families”. We may be in different arenas of the Early Childhood field but we are all working towards providing the best quality of service to children and families from all walks of live. I wish you all the best in your educational endeavors.

Thank you again,
Shelia

“NAEYC Code of Ethics”

Ethical Responsibilities to Children

I: 1-10: To ensure that each child’s culture, language, ethnically, and family structure are recognized and valued in the program.

 My thoughts: It is important to treat each child as an individual and respect the diversity of each. I believe in order to provide the highest quality of services is to be knowledgeable of the child’s history and incorporate appropriate activities and changes to the environment to make the child feel a part of the programs community.

 
Ethical Responsibilities to Families

I: 2-9: To participate in building support networks for families by providing them with opportunities to interact with program staff, other families’ community resources, and professional services.

My Thoughts: When you have strong professional relationships with families and provide resources both within the program and the community you will create a “village” of people that will work together for the good of the children. This is why parent volunteers, meetings, workshops and conferences are important. In order to provide professional services parents want and need we should offer them the provide parent questionnaires or surveys to get their suggestions, and feedback. By during this we will be able to plan and implement services that will best meet the needs of families.

 “DEC Code of Ethics”

 II. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND PREPARATION is critical to providing the most effective services for young children with disabilities and their families. Professional development is viewed and valued as an ongoing process guided by high standards and competencies for professional performance and practice.

Professionals acquire the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to work with a variety of young children with disabilities and their families within natural and inclusive environments promoting children’s overall growth, development and learning and enhancing family quality of life. Finally, professionals continually should seek and interpret evidence based information for planning and implementing individually appropriate learning environments linked to ongoing assessment and collaboration with parents and professional team members.

 

My thoughts: In the program I work at we are required to provide services for children with disabilities. To ensure we are providing services we need to be trained on the rules and regulations that must be followed when serving children with disabilities. We must ensure teaching staff are trained to implement individualized goals for each child, and to seek professional resources in the community to assess and provide services to children.

 

Additional Resources

Council for Professional Recognition: Council for Professional Recognition. Retrieved February 4, 2013 from: http://www.cdacouncil.org/the-resource-center/early-childhood-organizations

Head Start: Center for Inclusion:Retrieved February 4, 2013 from: http://eclkc.ohs.acf.hhs.gov/haslc/tt-system/teaching/Disabilities/

NCCP. Promoting Social Inclusion and Respect for Diversity in Early Childhood: Retrieved February 4, 2013 from: http://www.nccp.org/publications/pub_816.html

Course Resources

 

Part 1: Position Statements and Influential Practices

NAEYC. (2009). Developmentally appropriate practice in early childhood programs serving children from birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/dap

NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on child abuse prevention. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/ChildAbuseStand.pdf

NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on school readiness. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/Readiness.pdf

NAEYC. (2009). Where we stand on responding to linguistic and cultural diversity. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/diversity.pdf

NAEYC. (2003). Early childhood curriculum, assessment, and program evaluation: Building an effective, accountable system in programs for children birth through age 8. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/pscape.pdf

NAEYC. (2009, April). Early childhood inclusion: A summary. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.naeyc.org/files/naeyc/file/positions/DEC_NAEYC_ECSummary_A.pdf

Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families. (2010). Infant-toddler policy agenda. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.zerotothree.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ter_pub_infanttodller

FPG Child Development Institute. (2006, September). Evidence-based practice empowers early childhood professionals and families. (FPG Snapshot, No. 33). Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~images/pdfs/snapshots/snap33.pdf

Turnbull, A., Zuna, N., Hong, J. Y., Hu, X., Kyzar, K., Obremski, S., et al. (2010). Knowledge-to-action guides. Teaching Exceptional Children, 42(3), 42–53.

Part 2: Global Support for Children’s Rights and Well-Being

Article: UNICEF (n.d.). Fact sheet: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retrieved May 26, 2010, from http://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf

Websites:
World Forum Foundation
http://www.worldforumfoundation.org/wf/about.php

World Organization for Early Childhood Education
http://www.omep.org.gu.se/English/about_OMEP/

Association for Childhood Education International
http://acei.org/about/

Part 3: Selected Early Childhood Organizations

National Association for the Education of Young Children
http://www.naeyc.org/

The Division for Early Childhood
http://www.dec-sped.org/

Zero to Three: National Center for Infants, Toddlers, and Families
http://www.zerotothree.org/

WESTED
http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm

Harvard Education Letter
http://www.hepg.org/hel/topic/85

FPG Child Development Institute
http://www.fpg.unc.edu/main/about.cfm

Administration for Children and Families Head Start National Research Conference
http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/opre/hsrc/

HighScope
http://www.highscope.org/

Children’s Defense Fund
http://www.childrensdefense.org/

Center for Child Care Workforce
http://www.ccw.org/

Council for Exceptional Children
http://www.cec.sped.org//AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home

Institute for Women’s Policy Research
http://www.iwpr.org/index.cfm

National Center for Research on Early Childhood Education
http://www.ncrece.org/wordpress/

National Child Care Association
http://www.nccanet.org/

National Institute for Early Education Research
http://nieer.org/

Pre[K]Now
http://www.preknow.org/

Voices for America’s Children
http://www.voices.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=22807

The Erikson Institute
http://www.erikson.edu/

Part 4: Selected Professional Journals Available in the Walden Library

• YC Young Children
• Childhood
• Journal of Child & Family Studies
• Child Study Journal
• Multicultural Education
• Early Childhood Education Journal
• Journal of Early Childhood Research
• International Journal of Early Childhood
• Early Childhood Research Quarterly
• Developmental Psychology
• Social Studies
• Maternal & Child Health Journal
• International Journal of Early Years Education

 

Words of Inspiration and Motivation

Quotes by Lillian Katz

"Each of us must come to care about everyone else's children. We must recognize that the welfare of our children is intimately linked to the welfare of all other people's children. After all, when one of our children needs life-saving surgery, someone else's child will perform it. If one of our children is harmed by violence, someone else's child will be responsible for the violent act. The good life for our own children can be secured only if a good life is also secured for all other people's children."

 

"Of course children benefit from positive feedback. But praise and rewards are not the only methods of reinforcement. More emphasis ...should be place on appreciation--reinforcement related explicitly and directly to the content of the child's interest and efforts".

Words of Concern from Aisha Ray PhD

Dr. Aisha Ray has researched some of the unique challenges to Black boys that are exceedingly impactful regardless of the child’s income. She considers the challenges of race, class and gender in the context of brain development of young children and environmental factors that when missed can result in a child having significant problems in school and life…My question is… (What can we do as educators to make a difference for all “BOYS”?)

 

Louise Derman-Sparks

Her passion is to help fix the injustices in the world for children. Every child has a right to a safe, creative learning environment. To help teachers understand they need to have an anti-bias approach when teaching children.

 

Other Inspirational Quotes

Maria Montessori

The greatest sign of success for a teacher…is to be able to say, “The children are now working as if I did not exist”.

 

“Education is a natural process carried out by the child and is not acquired by listening to words but by experiences in the environment.”

Hillary Clinton

“All of us have to recognize that we owe our children more than we have been giving them”.

“I feel very lucky because of my parents and then my education, the opportunities that I've had, so I would like to continue working to improve lives for others”.